FINALLY!!! Holy Grail Found Tonight!!!

[theantiquetiger]

After ten years of collecting LSU, a 1959 LSU Sugar Bowl pennant came up for sale!!!!

I emailed the guy, asked him to add a $400 buy it now, and he did!!!!

The only other one I have ever seen is in the Sports Museum at LSU!!!

Now I have to list a few items to pay for it.

[CW]

Very nice. Congrats!!

What's the significance of the little Chinese(?) guy wearing the hat and the pink robe?

[ChiefBenderForever]

That's awesome you must be very excited ! Must have been the 'year of the Tiger' in 59 ? Very cool piece.

[theantiquetiger]

Originally Posted by CW

Very nice. Congrats!!

What's the significance of the little Chinese(?) guy wearing the hat and the pink robe?

The 1958 National Championship LSU team was unranked at the beginning of the season. The NCAA made a rule that year, or the year before, that a player could only re-enter the game once after being substituted. The coach divided the team into three small sub teams, the White team, the Gold team, and the Chinese Bandits. Instead of substituting a couple players, he would substitute the entire team, and save his starters to go back in near the end of the third quarter.

Each team had it's strengths, and the Chinese Bandits were strong on defense. They would actually punt on third down sometimes if they were deep in their own territory.

This formula won LSU the national championship. When other teams were worn out toward the end of the third quarter, LSU was sending in their starters, freshly rested for two quarters.

They played iron man ball back them, both ways, offense and defense.

[CW]

Originally Posted by theantiquetiger

The 1958 National Championship LSU team was unranked at the beginning of the season. The NCAA made a rule that year, or the year before, that a player could only re-enter the game once after being substituted. The coach divided the team into three small sub teams, the White team, the Gold team, and the Chinese Bandits. Instead of substituting a couple players, he would substitute the entire team, and save his starters to go back in near the end of the third quarter.

Each team had it's strengths, and the Chinese Bandits were strong on defense. They would actually punt on third down sometimes if they were deep in their own territory.

This formula won LSU the national championship. When other teams were worn out toward the end of the third quarter, LSU was sending in their starters, freshly rested for two quarters.

They played iron man ball back them, both ways, offense and defense.

Thanks for sharing that, and I'm glad I asked. The Chinese Bandit story definitely adds to the "coolness factor" of that piece.

[slidekellyslide]

Congrats! Sweet pennant.

[theantiquetiger]

There is this famous (at least around here) photograph taken in 1959 and featured in Life Magazine in Oct.

One other Holy Grail of mine is one of these Chinese Bandit masks worn for the photo. I have heard Billy Cannon has two in his collection, even though he was not a Chinese Bandit.

I do have a copy of the magazine

[perezfan]

Congrats on a great acquisition! Same Tiger Mascot image as seen on many of the 1940s/50s Detroit Tiger Pennants. Of course, none of those have a little Chinese Bandit.

Awesome pennant and great story... thanks for sharing.

[Leon]

That's some great stuff and I don't even collect memorabilia. Thanks for sharing and congrats!!

[doug.goodman]

That's very cool. Congrats.

[jcmtiger]

THEANTIQUETIGER,

Just curious, do you have the Hartland LSU Tiger Football figure from 1958-59?

Joe

[Vol]

Great story and very cool pennant. Go Vols!

[murphusa]

cool, there just like the ones we make in our basement

[theantiquetiger]

Originally Posted by jcmtiger

THEANTIQUETIGER,

Just curious, do you have the Hartland LSU Tiger Football figure from 1958-59?

Joe

The LSU Hartland was made in 62 and was in honor of Billy Cannon winning the Heisman in 59.

I do not have one, and funny you should ask, I had never seen one until someone just joined my forum and has two of the running backs (they also made a linebacker).

I started a thread in B/S/T here yesterday, asking if anyone has on for sale.

[jcmtiger]

Good Luck, hope you can pick one up

Joe

[Jay Wolt]

Congrats on landing the pennant. Waiting a decade to land one makes it seem more worthwhile.
How many different LSU pennants do you have?

[theantiquetiger]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

How many different LSU pennants do you have?

I have about 15 or so LSU pennants, most of them common. This is the rarest one. A funny thing, I bought the 1959 Clemson Sugar Bowl pennant two weeks ago because I had nothing for that game. Sunday night, I bought a football calendar with the 1912 football team on it, so I decided to sell the pennant to pay for it. Just after I listed it, I searched for it and just 8 mins before I listed the Clemson, this LSU sugar bowl pennant was listed. So I grab it and instead of making up money for the calendar, I was $400 further in debt. I sold my LSU Carter Hoffman sculpture to make up most of the money.

I will miss that Carter Huffman but one of my members has one, so I maybe able to talk her out of it. She stole it for $25. She didn't even know what it was, saw it listed with a $25 buy it now, so she grabbed it.

[theantiquetiger]

I take that back, this is probably my rarest pennant. I have never seen another LSU one, but someone on here does have one from another school

[perezfan]

That's not a Pennant... it's a Banner

Just kidding... awesome piece. Best of luck in getting the Hartland and the replacement Carter Hoffman!

[gregor197]

Originally Posted by theantiquetiger

There is this famous (at least around here) photograph taken in 1959 and featured in Life Magazine in Oct.

One other Holy Grail of mine is one of these Chinese Bandit masks worn for the photo. I have heard Billy Cannon has two in his collection, even though he was not a Chinese Bandit.

I do have a copy of the magazine

++++

Nice to see they were equal opportunity racists in Baton Rouge in the 1950s.

http://www.uwbadgers.com/history/black-history-lsu.html

[theantiquetiger]

Originally Posted by gregor197

++++

Nice to see they were equal opportunity racists in Baton Rouge in the 1950s.

http://www.uwbadgers.com/history/black-history-lsu.html

Chinese is not a race, Malcolm X!!!

It is a nationality!!!!

Plus, you are posting on a site that celebrates baseball when there was racial boundaries only 12 years before this picture was taken.